Govt scrapes duty on fertiliser and ammonia gas

Government has suspended duty on imported fertiliser and ammonia gas to ensure adequate supplies of the commodities for the next cropping season. The announcement was made by Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa in an Extraordinary Government Gazette published on Friday. In terms of the notice, Statutory Instrument 55 of 2017, Minister Chinamasa said suspension of duty on fertiliser would apply to 5 300 tonnes of urea and 4 700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate until December 31 2017.

In the same gazette, he said 82 000 tonnes of ammonia gas imported by Sable Chemical Industries would be free of duty until December 2018.

“It is hereby notified that the Minister of Finance and Economic Development has in terms of Section 235 of the Customs and Excise Act (Chapter 23:02), made the following regulations: These regulations may be cited as the Customs and Excise (Suspension) (Amendment) Regulations, 2017 (No. 168).

“The Customs and Excise (Suspension) Regulations, 2003, published in Statutory Instrument 257 of 2003, are amended by the insertion of the following section after Section 9(Y).

“With effect from February 14 2017 and until December 31 2018, duty on ammonia gas of tariff code 2814.1000 imported by Sable Chemical Industries Limited is wholly suspended,” read the gazette.

According to the gazette, 22 000 tonnes of ammonia gas will be imported duty free for the 2016/ 17 cropping season, while 60 000 tonnes will be imported duty free during the 2017 /18 season.

Statutory Instrument 55 of 2017 stipulates that 10 000 tonnes of urea, whether or not in aqueous solution and mixtures of urea and ammonium nitrate in aqueous or ammoniacal solution, will be imported duty free.

The regulations are valid until December 31, 2017. Duty has also been suspended on 14 000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, whether or not in aqueous solution during the 2016 /17 season.